Today the operation of most digital cameras remains restricted to viewpoints that are within an arm length's reach from the operator.
A variety of solutions, both flying and non-flying, have been proposed to solve this problem. However, current flying solutions are typically difficult to control, requiring pilot training and experience to successfully obtain an image from a desired view point. They are also highly susceptible to wind and prone to loss and collisions with high objects such as trees, power lines, or houses. Existing non-flying solutions, such as extendable poles, rely on ad hoc support elements like poles, masts, or base stations that lead to complicated, expensive, unwieldy, or otherwise impractical solutions. They are typically inexpensive and easy to use, but are cumbersome to transport and severely restrict the possible viewpoints.